Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats

Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - Printable Version

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Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - 2006alum - 06-20-2018

From ESPN:

Quote:Reid Travis, an all-Pac 12 player last year at Stanford and the most coveted graduate transfer on the market, announced Wednesday that he's transferring to Kentucky, where he'll be eligible to compete immediately in the 2018-19 season.

Travis, a 6-foot-8 forward who averaged 19.5 PPG and 8.7 RPG last season, graduated from Stanford on Sunday and visited Kentucky on Monday and Tuesday. The graduate transfer's decision changes projections for the upcoming season and should make John Calipari's team the favorite to win the national title.

Sad to see him go, and even sadder that the only time I can ever recall Stanford basketball being on the front page of ESPN.com while Travis has been on the team was a story about him leaving it.

This part of Travis's twitter announcement was a little hard to swallow:

Quote:I'm excited to work hard every day and give everything of myself to this program so that we can compete for a national championship. Big Blue Nation? Are we ready?

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - Langdude - 06-20-2018

TBH, I hope that this is embarrassing enough for the AD to work hard at reviving the bball program. Right now, the only reason players would come to Stanford is for the degree or geography; it's not to join a competitive program. So, now that Reid Travis has the degree, it is quite understandable he'd go somewhere to compete for an NC. I'm hoping to return to a time when players would want to stay at Stanford to compete for an NC.

-m.

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - ColoradoTree - 06-20-2018

(06-20-2018, 11:17 AM)Langdude Wrote: TBH, I hope that this is embarrassing enough for the AD to work hard at reviving the bball program. Right now, the only reason players would come to Stanford is for the degree or geography; it's not to join a competitive program. So, now that Reid Travis has the degree, it is quite understandable he'd go somewhere to compete for an NC. I'm hoping to return to a time when players would want to stay at Stanford to compete for an NC.

-m.

Exactly. I'd like to be mad at Travis for leaving, because this stings. But if he wins (or gets close to winning) a national title next year, he will have (1) gotten a Stanford degree, (2) competed for a national title, and (3) improved his NBA draft stock. He has made an extremely rational decision and has not sacrificed education (at least his undergraduate education) to do it. Best of luck to him. He didn't let us down; our program let him down by not being sufficiently competitive. And that's why it stings.

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - Bruce Wang - 06-20-2018

The biggest news here is that Kentucky will have an upperclassman on their roster.

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - BobK - 06-20-2018

Let me completely disagree with Lang. Stanford Haase and staff have done a great job recruiting. To say it or imply they are not excellent players is not accurate

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - Spiny_Norman - 06-20-2018

(06-20-2018, 11:17 AM)Langdude Wrote: TBH, I hope that this is embarrassing enough for the AD to work hard at reviving the bball program. Right now, the only reason players would come to Stanford is for the degree or geography; it's not to join a competitive program. So, now that Reid Travis has the degree, it is quite understandable he'd go somewhere to compete for an NC. I'm hoping to return to a time when players would want to stay at Stanford to compete for an NC.

-m.

Langdude, do you think that the AD is not committed enough to men's hoops success? What could they do that would make more of a difference in your view?

I am not being snarky here. I'm a frustrated fan too. It burns me every year that Stanford is not competitive with UCLA and Arizona. I think Stanford has not won at Pauley Pavilion since 2005. And it has been 10 years since Stanford beat Arizona anywhere. But I do like Coach Haase and would like to believe that he can win at Stanford.

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - Langdude - 06-20-2018

My comment did not mean to suggest that Haase has not recruited pretty well, nor that Haase is not a better coach than Dawkins. I guess I am speaking more systemically than that. Stanford basketball has not been consistently competitive at a national - or even conference - level for many years. Really since Trent was coach, and that was largely, IMO, based on what Monty had set up for him. I was merely saying that, from Travis's perspective, there was little reason to stay. We are not presently a competitive program. How can you argue otherwise? Stanford would count it a success next year to make it into the Tourney. UK has higher ambitions.

Are Haase's players (not sure if "excellent" is the right word yet, but that's my opinion) good enough to compete with UCLA and Arizona and the like? Time will tell if Haase can develop players and structure and philosophy and culture like Monty could. Recruiting three and four stars is great - Dawkins did the same - but we have to win.

As far as the AD's commitment to success on the court ... I just don't know. Holding on to Dawkins as long as they did suggests not to my taste. But, even if committed, I feel that much more work needs to be done. Perhaps Haase is the right step. It has been so long since we've been competitive, I feel like the burden of proof concerning the AD's commitment to basketball is on them.

Anyway, just my opinion.

-m.

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - BobK - 06-20-2018

Better Lang. We tied for third in the pac 12. Given the recruiting last 2 years players seem to think more than a degree and geography

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - Langdude - 06-20-2018

(06-20-2018, 04:18 PM)BobK Wrote: Better Lang. We tied for third in the pac 12. Given the recruiting last 2 years players seem to think more than a degree and geography

Not enough for Reid Travis to stay. UK much better. We'll see how we do next year. Dawkins had guys who looked like players, too, and who were recruited just as highly as Haase's players. Been burned too many times over the last 10 years to have much confidence. I can totally understand why Travis left.

-m.

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - Goose - 06-20-2018

Reid Travis departing is also about timelines. Stanford may be great in 5 years, or maybe in 2 years, but that does him no good. Even if Stanford were to be much better next year with Travis playing, it would be with him playing the role that did not get him drafted into the NBA this year. He clearly needed to change something if he intends to play in the NBA. Going to a different program that will use him differently may be very rational. The downside will be if he isn't good enough to get on the floor, but that's the risk he takes. Staying at Stanford wasn't going to help him much, no matter how much it might have helped Stanford.

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - Phogge - 06-20-2018

Again, playing in the morgue that Maples has become or play before 20,000 screaming fans? LOL.

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - lex24 - 06-21-2018

Stanford will benefit if the NBA goes to a baseball model for the draft.

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - winflop - 06-23-2018

(06-20-2018, 02:12 PM)BobK Wrote: Stanford Haase and staff have done a great job recruiting. To say it or imply they are not excellent players is not accurate

If that were true Bob, we wouldn't be looking to having significant minutes or potentially starting roles for Stanback and/or Sharma. This is Year 3, not Year 1. I'm not seeing a roster capable of a record materially different from last season, and at this point another NIT appearance isn't good enough and isn't going to bring back the fans.

I still think this is a good HC & staff - and I doubt that someone else could've done better - but I think it's a stretch to say they've "done a great job recruiting." The next two seasons will be do or die for Haase. I doubt this team will make the NCAAs but if that doesn't happen in 2020 I'm afraid it will be time to look elsewhere.

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - BobK - 06-23-2018

Granted we haven't recruited a Center in the two years, but I'll disagree with you on recruiting. As does Corey here:

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/evans-seven-sleepers-who-could-rise-to-become-nba-first-rounders

Which is why our first 2019 recruit is a PG.

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - Langdude - 06-24-2018

(06-23-2018, 06:07 AM)BobK Wrote: Granted we haven't recruited a Center in the two years, but I'll disagree with you on recruiting. As does Corey here:

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/evans-seven-sleepers-who-could-rise-to-become-nba-first-rounders

Which is why our first 2019 recruit is a PG.

Though recruiting rankings don’t tell the whole story, according to those, Haase and Dawkins have recruited the same caliber players.

-m.

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - 2006alum - 06-24-2018

BTW, this thoughtful take on Travis's value-add to Kentucky mentions that this year the final four will be in Minneapolis, his hometown. I hadn't realized that. Nothing will completely erase the pain of this decision, but I feel like I understand it a bit better - even if we made a run at the Tournament this year, there's no realistic way we'd make it to the Final Four. Travis now has a legit chance to play in the Final Four in his own hometown in his final college games - in that light, his decision is a bit easier to swallow.

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - JJJ - 06-24-2018

I don’t know how to post it from my phone but if you Instagram, Travis’s “story” today had him attending a BBN event in Kentucky with a large number of blue-clad fanatics.

How’s this?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aseaofblue.com/platform/amp/2018/6/24/17498928/kentucky-basketball-has-first-team-meeting

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - JJJ - 06-24-2018

Short Stanford graduation video.

https://instagram.com/p/Bkbln5bHd5l/

RE: Travis to the (Kentucky) Wildcats - fullmetal - 06-26-2018

ESPN puts some respect on Reid Travis's name by elevating Kentucky to the top of their way-too-early top 25 men's college hoops rankings. Alas, what could have been at Stanford.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/23852968/reid-travis-transfer-kentucky-wildcats-new-no-1-way-too-early-top-25